MONTHLY NEWS   /   AUGUST 2019

The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center received an Arts Build Community grant to host underserved local audiences for live performances and conversations about how the theater can better serve them. 
Photo: John Dolan  
Program, Philanthropy & Leadership Highlights 
 
Economic Opportunity: We are proud to be a partner in the launch of Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County, an innovative nonprofit program that aims to support residents of all backgrounds as they turn their promising ideas into successful businesses. We believe philanthropy can play an important role as community leaders come together to develop strategies to boost economic growth and help residents prosper. 
 
Strategic Learning: Tim Wilmot is BTCF's first director of strategy, evaluation and learning. He is focused on helping us better assess and increase the impact of our grants, programs and priorities. Read more about this work in his first blog post . 
 
Fund Milestone: The Honorable James P. Dohoney Scholarship Fund is marking its 20th anniversary this year. Named for the late Berkshire Superior Court judge who is remembered for his kindness and decency, the fund supports students in south Berkshire County who are pursuing higher education. It has granted nearly $200,000 since inception.
 
Addressing Organizational Bias: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation President Peter Taylor, Greylock Federal Credit Union CEO John Bissell and BRIDGE CEO Gwendolyn VanSant responded to recent coverage of a racial incident at Jacob's Pillow with a Berkshire Eagle op-ed affirming their shared goal to address systemic inequality in Berkshire County.    
Board, Staff & Committee News 
 
New Committee Measures BTCF Effectiveness: Berkshire Taconic launched a Program Committee to review topics related to the foundation's grantmaking, strategic priorities, and evaluation and learning. The committee is comprised of BTCF board members Peter Dillon (chair), Ellen Boyd, Suzette Brooks Masters, Emilie Pryor and Sarah Stack, and community members Nancy Heaton, Gary Schiro, Carolyn Valli and Tinny Weintraub.   
 
Board Member Speaks at Vigil:  New BTCF board member Eleanore Velez, who is an admissions counselor and coordinator of the Multicultural Center at Berkshire Community College, spoke at a Pittsfield vigil last month to raise awareness about conditions in immigrant detention facilities on the southern border. 
 
Staffer Tells Clampitt Story: The Amy Clampitt residency provides poets and literary scholars the time and opportunity to focus exclusively on their work at Clampitt's former home near Lenox. Community Engagement Officer Betsy Maury takes an in-depth look at Clampitt's life and the residency program in this month's issue of Main Street Magazine. 
Grants in the News
 
Hub Spurs Activity: With support from Berkshire Taconic's Community Development Collaborations initiative, the Northwest Hills Council of Governments launched a three-month pop-up hub in North Canaan to engage residents in community conversations. Read more about the hub's projects in the Republican-American. 
 
Area Funds Award Grants: The Fund for Columbia County and the Quailwood Fund awarded 26 grants totaling $140,419 to area nonprofits this year. The full list of projects was featured in a recent edition of the Columbia Paper. 
 
Making a Dent in Student Debt: Judith Wilkinson created a new fund at Berkshire Taconic to help ease the financial burden of MCLA students. She emphasizes that caring individuals can take steps to tackle the student debt crisis in their own communities in a Berkshire Eagle letter to the editor.
Coming Up
 
Board Leadership Seminar: Regional board members from nonprofits of all sizes are invited to participate in a learning and discussion session on diversity, equity and inclusion during our next Board Leadership Seminar on Friday, Oct. 11, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson. Kenya Rutland, an organizational development consultant with corporate, government and nonprofit clients, will explore the intersection of identity, equity and belonging as nonprofits try to build more inclusive boards. Details will be announced soon.    
    
Grantee's Art Exhibit: Grants from the A.R.T. Fund and the Martha Boschen Porter Fund supported Brian Buono's new solo art exhibit at the Thompson Giroux Gallery in Chatham, N.Y. The show is currently running through Sept. 22. Learn how these "life-changing" grants allowed Brian to pursue the next stage of his creative path on our blog. 
 
Valuing Diversity Through Performance: WAM Theatre received an Arts Build Community grant to partner with Multicultural BRIDGE to support cultural competency training and workshops for actors, staff and audiences of the production of " Pipeline." Performances of the play run Oct. 24 to Nov. 9 at Shakespeare & Co.  
 
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